Annual Report 2014-15

Recommendations

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Legal Help for Refugees Clinic In response to funding cuts, RACS decided to establish a Legal Help for Refugees Clinic to help people in the Fast Track Process who will never receive free legal assistance. The Legal Help for Refugees clinic has been the glue binding the services that come under the Fast Track Process Legal Assistance Project. Initially coordinated by existing RACS lawyers with volunteer lawyers providing legal support, the prospect of assisting the 9000 asylum seekers, who live in NSW, with no extra resources was daunting if not impossible. Therefore, RACS approached Legal Aid regarding the possibility of funding to support this work. We are very grateful that, in April 2015, we received a one off Legal Aid grant of $80,000, which allowed us to hire a migration agent lawyer and a legal admin staff member for seven months. The clinic provides great value for money and is incredibly efficient. Employing two people to co-ordinate the 80 lawyers, and 63 interpreters who “work” in the clinic means that we can leverage volunteers in an effective, strategic way to provide much needed assistance to large numbers of people needing essential legal support. About $350,000 worth in volunteer hours. Coordinated by RACS and supervised by RACS’ lawyers , in the past 18 months, volunteer lawyers and interpreters have helped over 570 people to draft statements setting out their refugee claims with the assistance of legally trained volunteers. RACS’ Fast Track Process Legal Assistance project receives on average between 30-35 new referrals for assistance per week, assists between 20-25 asylum seekers write statements per week and provides additional advice to asylum seekers who need to lodge applications urgently. RACS has also assisted clients in detention centres throughout Australia without access to other legal and migration advice and has helped train community groups to assist refugees applying for protection in Australia. The project is an innovative response to a crisis in the provision of legal services for people seeking protection. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has only recently commenced processing of the fast track applications but the demand for legal services is growing exponentially as people realise how challenging the Fast Track process is. 22 | Annual Report
“Thank you so much RACS for helping, I will never forget what you have done for me.” Former Client “Thank you RACS for giving me hope.” RACS’ current client. “I have suffered a lot in my home country. When I arrived in Australia, I found out about the new laws. I lost all my hope until I heard about the RACS’ Clinic.” An elderly Clinic client Refugee Advice and Casework Service | 23
Page 1 and 2: Annual Report 2014-15 Refugee Advic
Page 3 and 4: our vision, purpose and values Visi
Page 5 and 6: A message of thanks A rollercoaster
Page 7 and 8: THE RACS TEAM HELPED OVER 2827 Pers
Page 9 and 10: From Homeless to Housed At the begi
Page 11 and 12: anges for asylum Seekers to 30 June
Page 13 and 14: Refugee Advice and Casework Service
Page 15 and 16: Outreach In order to provide effect
Page 17 and 18: more than 60 education sessions wer
Page 19 and 20: we assisted clients from over 90 di
Page 21: Waiting for permission to apply Rec
Page 25 and 26: And we have been encouraged by the
Page 27 and 28: $2,000,000 2000000 $1,500,000 15000
Page 29 and 30: Policy and Law Reform RACS, as one
Page 31 and 32: Secondees Secondees from King & Woo
Page 33 and 34: A total of 366 volunteers assisted
Page 35 and 36: Nathan Kennedy Sherry Khalili Rose
Page 39 and 40: Significant Donors Anne-Marie Allgr
Page 41 and 42: Adélie Land (France) 4 Afghanistan
Page 55 and 56: Glossary AFP - Australian Federal P

Annual Report 2014-15

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